


The Blue Crystal

by sweetcarolanne



Category: Cthulhu Mythos - H. P. Lovecraft
Genre: Cats, Dreams and Nightmares, Horror, Hypnotism, Lovecraftian, Lovecraftian Monster(s), M/M, Seduction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-09-17 11:58:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16974201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetcarolanne/pseuds/sweetcarolanne
Summary: Unable to re-enter the Dreamlands after his quest to unknown Kadath comes to an end, Randolph Carter seeks the aid of a famous hypnotist - and encounters an old enemy in the process...





	The Blue Crystal

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RevMarsh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RevMarsh/gifts).



> Dear RevMarsh, thank you for requesting this fandom I love so much! I hope you like what I came up with for you - I had a lot of fun writing it. Happy Yuletide!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own the canon characters and am making no money from this work of fiction.
> 
> Many thanks to my beta who wishes to remain anonymous.

Many times, since returning from his quest into the realm of Unknown Kadath, did Randolph Carter seek to return to the Dreamlands where he had previously experienced so many adventures. 

He longed for the delights and even the terrors he had known in those faraway places, and he craved to meet again the beloved friends, both human and not so human, that he had once known far beyond the waking world. Although he felt glad to have escaped the peril of almost being sent to his doom by the Crawling Chaos, Nyarlathotep, his everyday reality could not compare to the wonder and magnificence he had discovered in his excursions into the dreamscapes. 

All his efforts to find the Dreamlands again were in vain, however, and night after night Carter found himself tossing and turning in uncomfortable wakefulness or falling into fitful sleep where he did not even dream at all, but was still aware of the reality of the room where he slept and the faint noises and shadowy visions of mundane events outside his window.

Sometimes it was as if he hovered on what felt like the very threshold of a dream, and each time a seductive voice, which seemed to be the soft and husky tones of a young man, whispered in his ear.

“Let me waken with you,” the voice would say, and it always made Carter shudder with a foreboding so great that the nascent dream was shattered before it could truly form. Carter had no way of telling whose voice it was, and why its seemingly pleasant tone made him tremble with such apprehension, but the strange accent was somehow familiar to him, and it frightened him beyond all reason.

Desperate to dream again and to evade the vague threat posed by the unknown voice, Carter had begun to frequent the less reputable parts of town in search of drugs that could, perhaps, lull him into a deep enough sleep to bring back his glorious nightly reveries. But opiates only brought him to oblivion, and taking them intensified his need for them with every dose. So he abandoned drugs and struggled to reach the Dreamlands on his own once more, but to no avail.

The only comfort that was left to Carter in his new existence of dull reality and dreamless sleep was holding his dear cat companion on his lap, stroking the placid animal’s black fur and trying to recall the faces of, and sounds made by, the cats from Ulthar beyond the river Skai. His feline friend snuggled tenderly against him, trying to console his master with a reassuring, rumbling purr and the pure, open-hearted affection, no less real for being unspoken, that only a devoted animal can offer. 

Carter, however, gave only minimal attention to his beloved pet. Longing for the Dreamlands pervaded his every thought and emotion. His inner ache to recapture what he had lost surpassed even his previous desire to find the splendid sunset city (which had turned out to be the waking world after all) and each time Carter’s mind began to wander the sleek black cat would sense his tension and absent-mindedness, leaping from Carter’s lap and slinking to a warm spot on the hearth-rug, leaving Carter to ruminate alone.

The faces and names of all the old friends he had crossed paths with in the Dreamlands – King Kuranes, the ghoul that had been Richard Upton Pickman, and the many feline comrades he had known and loved in Ulthar – all seemed to become fainter and more indistinct to Carter by the day. The only thing that stood out with clarity was the unknown male voice, gentle and alluring yet with an air of subtle menace, and it truly maddened and frustrated Carter that he could not place exactly where he had heard the voice before.

At last, driven to the brink of despair by his craving to dream, Carter decided to seek the services of Miss Wilma Schneider, a renowned lady hypnotist who had been rumoured to have the power to bring on wondrous visions in her clients. Some learned men among Carter’s acquaintances derided her as a charlatan, but others who had actually visited Miss Schneider claimed to have entered deep trances under her ministrations where they had seen the most fascinating illusions. Perhaps she, Carter hoped, could help to re-open the door of dreaming that now seemed forever closed to him.

Carter was also feeling predisposed to trust Miss Schneider due to the fact that she also had a fondness for cats.

He had passed the hypnotist’s dwelling, which was only a few streets away from his own home, several times and had stooped to pet the lithe Burmese cat who frequently sat outside on the bottom step, announcing herself to those who were passing by with great curiosity and friendliness. The merry little call of the slim brown beauty had lifted Carter’s sagging spirits for a while, and he had walked on with a smile all the way home as he recalled how eagerly she had rubbed against his legs. How he wished he still remembered the soft language of cats from his dreams so that he could have stayed longer to converse with her!

The Burmese was there to greet Carter when he knocked on Miss Schneider’s door, and she padded along on dainty cushioned paws at Carter’s side as Miss Schneider ushered him into a parlour with drawn damask curtains and a Persian rug upon the floor.

Carter reclined on a chaise-longue of maroon velvet as Miss Schneider sat opposite him, exhorting him in soothing murmurs to relax and keep his eyes upon the blue crystal that she swung to and fro in front of his face on a long gold chain. It was shaped like a teardrop, a brightly flashing jewel that looked almost like a real sapphire as its many facets sparkled in the sliver of sunlight that managed to penetrate the gap between the heavy drapes.

The blue crystal began to whirl in a mesmerising circle; although Carter did not feel drowsy and his eyes stayed wide open, he could not help but be transfixed by the gem’s gleam and motion. His entire world had become a haze of bluish stars, and time froze as the crystal spun and glittered.

Miss Schneider’s round, cherubic face, snowy white bun of hair and bespectacled grey eyes began to blur. Her thick German accent slowly faded and became the drone of insects Carter had never seen before and had no names for.

Sapphire shades appeared to melt and transform to lapis lazuli, alive with golden flecks, and the hazy shimmer of distant stars became the walls of a garden, rising not only above Carter’s head but over rows of gorgeously scented and coloured, and very likely toxic, blooms that resembled giant red and purple lilies. A black marble pathway stretched out at Carter’s feet, and with a spine-stiffening shock he realised that he was standing upright and was no longer in Miss Schneider’s parlour. There was no sign of the hypnotist or her Burmese cat anywhere – there was only the garden and the path, and in the distance a palace sculpted from the same black marble as the narrow paved roadway.

He began to walk towards the palace, and the insects’ hum changed in intensity, becoming an alien melody accentuated by what seemed to be the piping and tapping of unnatural instruments. At the massive bronze gates of the palace stood a tall, slender figure clad in robes of many dazzling hues, extending a hand in greeting to Carter.

“Welcome to my true realm, Randolph Carter,” the man called in the voice that had so disturbed Carter on those nights when he vainly strove to fall into the deepest slumber and dream.

As Carter drew closer, he was able to make out the features of the man’s face. The stranger had the handsome visage of an Egyptian pharaoh, and his style of dress and ornamentation, even down to the pshent he wore, resembled exactly that of those ancient kings.

And as his eyes met the kohl-lined ones of the other man, Carter’s blood ran cold at the sudden remembrance of who this being truly was.

“The Crawling Chaos,” Carter said under his breath, his palms beginning to sweat and his mouth going dry with fear. “Nyarlathotep.”

“Yes,” whispered the abomination, and Carter fought to stop himself from trembling at the searching gaze of the dark eyes fixed upon him. “It is I, Randolph Carter, and I have been watching you ever since your quest to Kadath came to an end. I haunt the shadows of your unconscious mind, ever vigilant, waiting for you to come to me or call me to your side.”

“And why should I call to you?” Carter challenged, striving to keep his voice calm and steady, although he sensed with growing unease that Nyarlathotep already perceived his gradually increasing dread. “When I saw you last, you tried to send me straight into the disgusting maw of your vile master, Azathoth. “

Carter expected to elicit explosive rage from the Crawling Chaos at the insult to the ruler of the Other Gods, but no such anger came. A small, crafty smile flitted across the face of Nyarlathotep, and it was all Carter could do not to cry out loud in terror.

“A grave error on my part,” Nyarlathotep replied, his voice even gentler and more seductive than it had been before. “I did not realise how precious you are to me, and that from the beginning I should have kept you for myself.”

He stepped closer, and Carter caught the scent of exotic spices and delicately fragranced incense that seemed to emanate from the strange silken material of Nyarlathotep’s robes. 

“Yes, Randolph Carter – you are far more courageous and resilient than I gave you credit for,” Nyarlathotep continued, moving even nearer to where Carter stood. “A man of your strengths is most worthy to be my companion, and not only my friend, but my beloved.”

Carter was frozen to the spot, unable even to blink, let alone turn and flee. Nyarlathotep stood directly in front of him by this time, reaching with one slim hand, adorned with magnificent golden rings, to stroke the side of Carter’s face.

“Why do you want me?” Carter was able to rasp at last, despite the dryness of his mouth and a feeling of tight constriction in his throat. 

Nyarlathotep uttered a soft, sensual laugh.

“As I said, you are strong, and your earthly abilities are a good match for my own powers, which extend far beyond the borders of what is terrestrial. And only you can give me what I seek – the very same sunset city you once so eagerly sought and which I, in the end, revealed to you. As I whispered to you in your slumbers, let me waken with you. Join with me in flesh and spirit, and let us both enter the waking world as lifetime companions. For I long to taste of the pleasures of your home, and discover the science and magic of the place that you inhabit every day.”

Carter shivered at the demonic god-king’s enticing tones and slow, caressing touch. His skin prickled with repulsion from the knowledge of what the Crawling Chaos truly was, but he still began to stir with a strange arousal at the unearthly beauty of the form Nyarlathotep had taken and the alluring cadence of his speech.

“I was once a man, and I walked among men,” Nyarlathotep whispered. “I shall walk among your kind again, and I will command them all, and not only from beyond the veil of sleep. Great power shall once again be mine in your sunset city, and you shall reign at my side as my consort. Only you can bring me into the light of day, and only I can bring you the ecstasies you have longed for all your life, but have never dared to seek.”

And the Crawling Chaos leaned in towards Carter, placing a chaste kiss upon his lips before Carter even thought to pull away. He could only close his eyes and feel unwilling pleasure at the softness of the demon’s mouth.

Blue lightning blazed before Carter’s eyes, and the sky above began to darken as if a storm was approaching. A distant rumble of thunder grew ever closer, and oppressive heat seemed to enshroud Carter as he was drawn, unable to struggle, into the arms of Nyarlathotep.

Something struck Carter in the chest, and piercing sapphire light made his eyes fly open once again. Dazed and giddy, he tried with all his might to focus his vision, and found himself staring not into the midnight eyes of Nyarlathotep, but instead into the golden ones of Miss Schneider’s Burmese cat.

“Sekhmet! Nein, nein, nein!” Miss Schneider exclaimed in horror and scooped the offending feline up from the recumbent Carter. She put the cat down onto her own chair, and fussed over Carter, babbling repeated apologies as she helped to brush the cat-hair from his clothes. Carter did his best to reassure her that everything was perfectly fine and he did not mind the cat’s intrusion in the least, but Miss Schneider was so terribly embarrassed that she forgot to ask for her fee, and Carter only remembered that he had not paid for the consultation when he arrived back at his own house.

Carter determined that he would return to Miss Schneider’s rooms the very next day, and bring not only money with him, but also a parcel of treats for Sekhmet. For the cat had undoubtedly saved his life, and perhaps even his soul.

She had also planted the seeds of an idea in Carter’s mind.

That night, Carter brought his own beloved pet into bed with him, gently running his fingers through ebony fur and timing his breathing to the rhythmic sound of feline purrs. He let his eyelids flutter shut, and as the moon rose above his roof, bathing his entire bedroom in silvery light, he opened them again to find himself in Ulthar beyond the river Skai.

A slow smile spread across Randolph Carter’s face as he held out his arms to the scores of welcoming cats who rushed to greet him.


End file.
